What is an Allergy? and Long-Term Allergy Relief.

What is the Allergy?

An allergy is an abnormal response that the body has to something foreign that it comes in contact with. While the substance may not cause harm to the body, it affects the immune system and causes a reaction. This reaction can trigger a variety of symptoms that may cause some discomfort to the person involved. The body reacts to the invading substance and tries to protect itself by releasing chemicals to cope with what is happening.

Just because someone has an adverse response to a substance that there are not used to, does not mean that the person is allergic to the substance and will have to deal with the same symptoms every time they come in contact with it. For example, many medications have potential side effects. If a person suffers from a side effect from the medication they are taking this does not automatically mean that they are allergic to it. In turn, an allergy is something that a person can grow out of or something that they may suffer from once or twice and never again.

Common symptoms of an allergy include itchy and watery eyes, a runny nose, and a rash on the skin. An allergy is an exaggerated response to a substance it is not familiar with. Allergies serve to further cause irritation to what you see, smell, taste, and touch. An allergy can be extremely serious if it is not kept in check, and in the most extreme cases can cause fatalities. If you experience any of the symptoms listed it is wise to go to your doctor or medical center as soon as possible for treatment.

An allergy can take many forms. Some of the most common types of allergies include nasal allergies and hay fever, skin allergies, drug and medicine allergies, food allergies and insect allergies. Nasal allergies and hay fever are allergies that are usually seasonal in nature and get worse during the spring months due to the pollen that is on the grass and trees and often floats freely through the air, irritating nasal

Long-Term Allergy Relief:

If you suffer from recurring allergy problems that do not respond well to a variety of types of medication then the type of allergy relief you should consider is allergy shots. This is also the case if you suffer from the side effects of allergy medication. Allergy shots are particularly beneficial for children as they can prevent asthma attacks and they can also decrease the likelihood that a child with hay fever will develop asthma.

It is important to note that long-term allergy relief involves monthly allergy shots and it may take three to five years of consistent injections to achieve the necessary results. The good thing is that once the injections stop, often the allergy goes away or else the relief from symptoms lasts for many years to follow.

Allergy shots are a type of immunotherapy. Each individual shot is made up of substances that trigger allergic reactions in order to boost the effectiveness of the immune system. The shots contain the right amount of substances to do what they need to do but not to cause an allergy attack.

As time passes, the doctor will increase the dosage of the shots in order to allow the body to become accustomed to (or desensitized to) the allergy-causing substances. This will ensure that your immune system will build up a tolerance and will encourage the allergy symptoms to disappear.

Allergy shots are given on a type of schedule that has two phases- the build-up phase and the maintenance phase. The build-up phase normally takes from three to seven months and involves getting a shot one to three times on a weekly basis. The dosage is increased during this phase to build the immunity to it. This lays the groundwork for the future of the allergy and for long-term allergy relief.

The maintenance phase is the longest phase and can take anywhere from three years to five years. Once the doctor feels that you have reached your highest level of the allergy shot, that level must be maintained. You will need to have a shot every month and it will contain a consistent amount of the allergy-causing substance. This can all make for allergy relief that lasts.